Beware the Ides of March (or Mom moving in with you!)

So, my mother is moving in with us.  I love my mom and am happy about this (no, this blog is NOT about my mother moving in…well, it could be but….). What this is really about is that I have been going through containers and storage and re-discovered all of my PMI exam prep materials. I have not seen these in several years.  I recall how long I studied and prepared for that 4.5 hour exam!  The training I received while working at Lucent, classes through ESI, notes and study techniques and formulas that I learned from co-workers was invaluable.

Once you have taken the PMP exam, it is very, very important to maintain your certification.  When I sat for my exam I 2000, the statistic on failure for first time testers was 40%! After that exam, I always maintain my PDUs.  I also had a promotion and a raise riding on the outcome of that exam so failure was not an option!

Some great resources that I have found and used over the years for education are my local chapter meetings and symposiums (check to see if your local chapter has a symposium), ESI courses, Seminars World and the PMI Global Congresses.  The last global congress that I attended was in Maryland.  There were some fabulous and really interesting speakers:  Storm Cunningham, who wrote a great book on re-development, the CIO of the United States and last but not least, Bill Clinton.  Yes, I was very excited about that. It was the first time I have ever heard a President speak in person!  It was actually pretty funny how everyone was “rushing the state” for the President like they would a Bruce concert.

The bottom line here, do not let your PMP certification expire.  Always keep up your training and education.  You don’t want to re-take that exam if you don’t have to! If not, your mother may move in….